A wild weather system that unleashed mudslides in Orange County and spawned a tornado in Riverside County lashed the San Gabriel Valley on Thursday afternoon.

The fast-moving series of thunderstorms dumped heavy rain and hail in parts of the Valley and Whittier, flooding local roads and freeways.

In Sierra Madre, fears of mudslides prompted city officials to urge residents of three streets to evacuate. Residents on Skyland Drive, Woodland Drive, Idlehour Lane and Lotus Lane, near where the Santa Anita Fire burned late last month, were asked to voluntarily evacuate, according to police officials.

The National Weather Service is forecasting the possibility of more thunderstorms today and Saturday throughout Southern California, which just last weekend was baking in 90- and 100-degree heat.

Flooding was reported Thursday on the 605 Freeway at Live Oak Avenue in Irwindale, and on the 210 Freeway around Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia.

The worst freeway flooding, said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Gafford, was on the 10 Freeway eastbound near Peck Avenue in El Monte, where four lanes were shut down. Vehicles were forced to merge into the car-pool lane, causing huge traffic delays.

Industry experienced flooding on Workman Mill Road and Crossroads Parkway, near where the 60 and 605 freeways meet. Several motorists were forced to push their cars after they became caught in the high water. Industry police issued a warning for La Habra Heights because of concerns of flooding and mudslides.

The eastern San Gabriel Valley was one of the areas first hit by storms early Thursday afternoon, according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“The storm is centered right around Azusa, where the 210 and 605 freeways meet,” said Kittell.

A flash flood warning was issued for the area, including Covina, La Puente, West Covina, Baldwin Park, Azusa, and El Monte.

Several city police departments reported traffic accidents, flooding, and power outages, but none reported any serious accidents or injuries.

The storm also caused power outages in Whittier, Irwindale, Baldwin Park, La Puente, Covina, West Covina, San Dimas and Industry, according to Steve Conroy of Southern California Edison.

Steve Solis, a Covina resident, had a tree in his yard struck by lightning on Thursday afternoon.

“The Fire Department came by and put it out but it is still smoldering,” said Solis, shortly after the incident.

A lightning bolt also struck a power transformer near Lydia Jackson Elementary School near the corner of La Cuarta Street and Painter Avenue, leading to power outages in Whittier.

Daniel Ramos, 33, of Whittier witnessed the lightning.

“You could hear the popping noise,” said Ramos.

A layer of hail coated parts of Baldwin Park. “It’s amazing,” Kela Carbajal, a hairdresser at the Olive Square Barber Shop, told The Associated Press. “The kids go around grabbing at the (hail) and throwing it at cars.”

Snow was reported at Running Springs in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Lightning sparked many brush fires in northern and eastern San Diego County but they were quickly doused, said Nick Schuler, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Sierra Madre Fire Department closed the Mount Wilson Trail as a precaution for mudslides.

Orange County also suffered from landslides. County fire officials ordered mandatory evacuations in three canyons that were scarred by wildfires last fall.

Evacuations were carried out in Williams, Modjeska and Trabuco canyons. Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion said some residents in those canyons couldn’t leave their homes because of mud and debris flows. Some houses were damaged as well.

Concepcion said debris flow made a road in Trabuco Canyon impassable, but there were no reports of injuries.

The area of the mudslides was charred last fall by a wildfire that burned 15 homes and 28,000 acres.

In Riverside County, the weather service tracked a tornado moving south near Moreno Valley.

A KABC-TV helicopter in the area videotaped an overturned big rig blocking a highway and a half-dozen freight cars toppled over on nearby railroad tracks.

Staff writers Mike Sprague, Sandra Molina and Robert Hong and wire services contributed to this story.

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